The plot of the first film: For his birthday, 6-year-old Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) gets the "Good Guy" doll he saw advertised on TV. Little did Andy know that the doll, later to be known as Chucky, is actually a Main/SoulJar for the SerialKiller Charles Lee Ray (Creator/BradDourif). His babysitter Maggie Peterson (Dinah Manoff) is only the first of several people to die. His mother Karen (Catherine Hicks) has to find what is going on in time to save her son from becoming Charles' next host.

[=TikGames=] [[http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/12509/childs-play-videogame-series-announced announced]] a video game series based on the property in which you play as Chucky in a ''literal'' murder simulator.

Not to be confused with [[UsefulNotes/ChildsPlay the charity]] or [[Series/ChildsPlay the Bill Cullen game show]].

----!!This film series provides examples of:

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[[folder:Series-wide]]* AdultFear: When Mrs. Barclay thinks her son might be a killer and later when she finds out there's a serial killer after him who aims to steal his body. And then when she tells the story of what happened, she is put into psychiatric care and her son is thrown into the Foster system.* AdultsAreUseless: Most of them can't accept the reality that a killer doll is on the loose. Probably because it's the last thing they'd suspect.* AshFace: When Chucky gets burnt.* AndIMustScream: It's implied in the ''ComicBook/HackSlash'' crossover that Chucky is stuck in a state similar to this whenever his body is destroyed.* AxCrazy: Charles Lee Ray, the actual murderer and by extension, Chucky in all films.* BalefulPolymorph: While Chucky [[SubvertedTrope put himself in the doll to begin with and is especially dangerous in that form]] (as he can hide pretty much anywhere and almost no one is suspicious of a toy) he laments being stuck in "this goddamned body" and spends most of the series trying to BodySurf into a human. And in ''Bride of Chucky,'' Tiffany tickles him and locks him in a playpen. Ultimately subverted altogether when Chucky realizes that he's more infamous as a doll than he ever was as a human.* BigBad: Chucky.* BitchInSheepsClothing: Chucky, of course, since who would ever suspect a Good Guy doll of being an infamous voodoo-practicing serial killer? Even Andy and Tyler, his first two intended [[SoulJar Soul Jars]], think he's a nice guy at first when he reveals to them that he's actually alive.* BloodierAndGorier: Each successive installment just gets messier.* BodyHorror: What happens to Chucky over the course of the first few films to a degree. He becomes 'more human' the longer he's in the doll, which ultimately makes him this twisted fusion of flesh, blood, plastic, and wires. Kind of light, except it also makes him still feel pain, but unable to die (or so it seems) from more normal biological things like blood loss and shock.* BodySurf: Chucky's goal for much of the series is to transfer his soul into a human body.* BrokenPedestal: TheHero finds him or herself in this position when one or more of their confidents believed they committed the crimes that were in fact caused by Chucky. This however, causes the one who becomes disillusioned to TookALevelInJerkass or reveals him or herself to be negatively NotSoAboveItAll and becomes just another AssholeVictim who is TooDumbToLive for Chucky to kill.** Andy is this to Joanne in the second film.** Jade and Jesse are this to David in the fourth film (though unlike most mean-spirited examples in the series, its revelation is more PlayedForLaughs in a BlackComedy manner due to the fourth film steering more towards the humorous route as well as David's actor's [[LargeHam over-the-top]] approach on how his character becomes disillusioned).** Nica is this to Ian in the sixth film.* CassandraTruth: No one ever believes Andy or any other protagonist about Chucky. When they do, they usually die.** After the first film, Karen Barclay was locked away in an asylum because she insisted the killer doll story was true even when the police didn't back it up.* CrapsackWorld: The apparent setting of the films, as it's a universe filled with [[{{Jerkass}} jerks]] (who [[AssholeVictim most deserved]] Chucky's wrath), supporting characters who are mostly either TooDumbToLive, NotSoAboveItAll, {{Hate Sink}}s, or have [[{{TookALevelInJerkass}} taken a level in jerkass]] and protagonists who are[[HeroWithBadPublicity Heroes With Bad Publicity]] who all happen to the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane People]] in comparison to the supporting cast. It also has a bleak depiction of Chicago, Illinois or at least mid-America, ranging from Chicago being littered with vagrants who are rapists at night and has a rundown mental hospital for criminally insane children run by a BitchInSheepsClothing DrJerk in the first film to a toy company run by a heartless CorruptCorporateExecutive in the second and third films to a military school run by {{The Neidermeyer}}s in the third film to the life on the road filled with thieving couples and {{Dirty Cop}}s in the fourth film and a DysfunctionalFamily filled with a married couple who are {{Jerkass}}es in [[YourCheatingHeart different]] [[TookALevelInJerkass degrees]] and a TooDumbToLive [[BuryYourGays lesbian]] babysitter with the paraplegic woman to be the OnlySaneWoman in the family and more {{Dirty Cop}}s in the sixth film. However, it's PlayedForLaughs in the fifth film when depicting the glamorous Hollywood filled with LargeHam [[NewMediaAreEvil paparazzi]] (or as [[EvenEvilHasStandards Chucky points it out, "Paparazzi scumbag!"]]).** The second film depicts Chicago to be a CrapsaccharineWorld, that despite the bright (if somewhat eerie) look of the film, it's actually still an unkind city that not even Andy is safe from other than Chucky (the aforementioned toy company run by cold-hearted {{corrupt corporate executive}}s including one SmugSnake [[YourCheatingHeart cheating on his wife]], an elementary school where it's implied {{sadist teacher}}s are authorized to inflict [[WouldHurtAChild physical and emotional child abuse]] on their students, and foster parents who, [[NotSoAboveItAll despite their appearances to be seemingly ideal-looking and what model families should look like]], [[SupernaturalProofFather naturally disbelieve that a killer doll is on the loose out to get a child]] and can be vindictively judgmental if a child is a HeroWithBadPublicity and can easily deduce kids can be murderers ranging from an ObstructiveBureaucrat {{Jerkass}} foster father to a mother who starts out as caring and kind towards the child, [[BewareOfTheNiceOnes but]] [[NotSoAboveItAll th]][[BitchInSheepsClothing en]] TookALevelInJerkass towards the kid [[spoiler: after seeing her husband dead and irrationally jumped to a conclusion that the child killed him somehow]] just because of his [[HeroWithBadPublicity prior reputation]]). Not to mentioned TooDumbToLive social workers and factory employees and a minor newspaper truck driver who [[JerkassHasAPoint understandably]] from an impartial viewpoint can be [[BerserkButton irked]] if getting run off the road for seemingly no reason (except to prevent a killer doll to transfer his soul to a child). Plus, in contrast to the [[DissonantSerenity seemingly and visually family-friendly]] [[NotSoAboveItAll environment]], anyone besides Chucky can be [[SirSwearsALot Sir Swears-a-Lots]] (or go into a ClusterFBomb or inflict a PrecisionFStrike towards somebody, like Kyle or the truck driver when confronting Kyle), though not as much as Chucky, who swears the most.** The series's universe is also filled with characters who starts out as friends of the protagonists, but then can [[{{TookALevelInJerkass take a level in jerkass}}]] once turning on the {{The Hero}}es after viewing the protagonists as {{Broken Pedestal}}s after Chucky frames the leads for his crimes, [[spoiler:then become {{Asshole Victim}}s after stooping that low]].* {{Determinator}}: Chucky to the T. Even missing a hand, having his face sliced off, or worse, nothing stops the Chuck from killing or stalking his prey. It's even more impressive, considering he lacks the 'feel no pain' a lot of his slasher peers have.* DevilInPlainSight: Nobody noticing Chucky is semi-justified by the fact that nobody seems to think too much of a doll sitting there. Only semi because people rarely question why a doll would be where they find him.* EvilRedhead: Chucky - at least as a doll.* ExorcistHead: Chucky does this to mess with Damien Baylock in ''Bride''.* FauxAffablyEvil: Chucky has pretty moments. As does Tiffany.* FlatEarthAtheist: Despite the preceding events in past films, Chucky and the existence of {{Killer Doll}}s are still ruled out to be not real, making this universe an outright TooDumbToLive CrapsackWorld that is stubbornly unprepared for and vulnerable to any tiny terror.* HateSink: Most of the {{Jerkass}}es in the series tend to fall into this, which is why these films has more {{Asshole Victim}}s than any other SlasherMovie franchise, even more than the ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' films.* HauntedTechnology: Chucky and Tiffany.* InappropriateSpeakAndSpell: Chucky the doll [a battery-powered, talking [[{{Irony}} "Good Guy"]] doll] is possessed by the spirit of a serial killer. One can only imagine the inappropriate things he was saying to Andy, but onscreen we see and hear him [[ClusterFBomb going berserk]] when Andy's mom threatens to throw him into the fireplace if he didn't talk (thereby proving her suspicion that the doll was sentient).* InkSuitActor: Both Chucky's and Tiffany's doll forms are basically creepy miniature caricatures of their actors Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly. Even Chucky's hairdo, both before and after his stitched-up appearance, resembles Dourif's actual real-life haircuts unlike Charles Lee Ray's long hair when he was human. Also, initially, when Tiffany has her soul transferred into the bridal doll for the first time, she was a brunette, much like Tilly's real-life hair color, before she dyed it blond along with changing the rest of her appearance to resemble a doll version of her human form.* InsaneTrollLogic: In the franchise's CrapsackWorld, it seems anyone can easily accept that any human being, whether its either impossibly a 6 to 8 year-old child or a wheelchair-bound woman, is capable to commit a murder, ''[[IdiotBall except]]'' a KillerDoll.* {{Jerkass}}: At least one per film. Notable examples include [[TheNeidermeyer Lt. Col.]] [[TheBully Shelton]] in the third movie, [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Phil]] and [[SadistTeacher Miss Kettlewell]] in the second, [[SmugSnake John Ritter's]] [[DirtyCop character]] in ''Bride'', Creator/JohnWaters' [[NewMediaAreEvil character]] (who is [[LoveToHate more]] PlayedForLaughs unlike the other examples) in ''Seed'', [[BigSisterBully Barb]] in ''Curse'' and Chucky himself.* KarmicDeath: Chucky in all films.* KickTheDog: Chucky is evil all right, but this gets quite [[{{Flanderization}} flanderized]] throughout the series.* KillerRabbit: Many people find it hard to take Chucky seriously because he's a two-foot-tall doll. [[GenreBlindness Big mistake.]]* LeftForDead: Chucky is left for dead in all the movies.* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Most of the supporting characters beside TheHero have nothing to due with the main plots of the films except to act as either TooDumbToLive and/or AssholeVictim cannon fodder for Chucky's body count or as oblivious bystanders frustratingly flabbergasted at what's going on due to them disbelieving the existence of Chucky. See FlatEarthAtheist above for more information.* LoserProtagonist: A common staple for TheHero of the films due to them being a HeroWithBadPublicity that no one believes Chucky is on the loose and out to get them and find themselves framed by Chucky as well, which also shows much a CrapsackWorld the films' universe is by being so unforgiving, dreadful, grim and unpleasant towards them:** The first three films had Andy Barclay.** The fourth had Jesse and Jade.** The latest had the wheelchair-bound Nica.* MamaBear: Andy's mother at first, then Kyle in the second film.* NotGoodWithRejection: Chucky.* OffWithHisHead: However, he does get killed when he's decapitated by [[spoiler:Glen]].* PerversePuppet: Chucky is almost the poster child to this trope.* PintSizedPowerhouse: Chucky is about the size of a toddler, and capable of taking down fully-grown adults.* PrettyInMink: A couple scenes with Jennifer Tilly (playing herself)* ParentalAbandonment: Post-''Child's Play'', Andy's mother is absent from his life due to being taken in for "psychological evaluation."* RasputinianDeath: In the first three films, Chucky takes an absurd amount of punishment. Getting set on fire, dismembered, melted, and ''having half of his face cut off'' only slowed him down temporarily.* RecoverySequence: In the opening sequences to ''2'', ''3'', and ''Bride of Chucky'', Chucky is shown being reconstructed.* ReverseCerebusSyndrome: The series turned to self-parody from ''Bride of Chucky'' onward.** ''CurseofChucky'' attempts to take the series back to its roots: whether it succeeds or not is a matter of opinion.* SirSwearsALot: Chucky has quite the filthy mouth.* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: The series start out as fairly straight horror, but by the time of ''Bride'' it's become a splatter comedy.* StayingAlive: To the point that Chucky provides the page quote.* TookALevelInBadass:** Andy at the end of every movie he's featured in. ** Glen in ''Seed''... although a really weird one. [[spoiler: Nica at the end of Curse of Chucky.]]** [[spoiler: In ''Curse of Chucky'' Andy points a gun at Chucky before he even manages to get out of the box he was shipped in.]]* UnholyMatrimony: Chucky & Tiffany.* VillainBall: Despite being logically running out of time before he turns completely human, Chucky sure wastes a lot of time killing random people ForTheEvulz in ''Child's Play 2'' and ''3'' instead of going straight to Andy [[spoiler:(and Tyler in 3)]] to transfer his soul. You would expect him to hurry and keep a low profile until he gets his new body, especially considering where revealing himself led him in the first movie, but apparently, he doesn't learn from his mistakes.* VillainDecay: Chucky. More and more after each film. He was pretty scary and played seriously when he first appeared. Then, he became more PlayedForLaughs and less scary as the series went on.* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Andy doesn't return after the third ''Child's Play'' movie. The movie ends with him being brought in by the police for questioning. Same thing applies to Tyler as well. [[spoiler: ''Curse of Chucky'' however, shows that Andy seems to be doing just fine.]]** Nor has the Good Guy Dolls company ever been mentioned, even though they're back in business. However, some dialogue from ''Bride'' implies they've been shut down again, this time for good.** Ian's nanny cam, and the footage it shot in ''Curse''.* WouldHurtAChild: Chucky most definitely would, if swapping souls doesn't work.[[/folder]]

[[folder:The original film]]* AllThereIsToKnowAboutTheCryingGame: The Good Guy Doll being alive was supposed to be a twist... wouldn't you know? The original poster of the first film just showed a woman crashing through a window out of a building (the first murder victim of Chucky in the film) and giant evil eyes in the stormy sky.[[note]]The original trailer gives a few stronger hints about Chucky, but does not give it away either.[[/note]]* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:[[DirtyCoward Eddie Caputo]] and [[DrJerk Dr. Ardmore]]]].* AttemptedRape: The homeless guy who sold Chucky to Karen attempts it on her when she encounters him again, but Mike saves her.* BittersweetEnding: At the end [[spoiler:Chucky is dead and Andy is saved, but nobody besides Mike, Jack, and the Barclays are going to believe a doll committed the murders.]]* ClusterFBomb: "YOU STUPID BITCH, YOU FILTHY SLUT! I'LL TEACH YOU TO FUCK WITH ME!"* DirtyCoward: Eddie Caputo leaves Charles Lee Ray behind for dead to save his own skin when he himself was being chased by the cops. This bites him back when Chucky was created and took his revenge for this act of traitorous cowardice on his backstabbing partner-in-crime.* DrJerk: Dr. Ardmore, despite appearing to be caring, is a {{Hypocrite}} and in reality possibly viewed Andy as a murder suspect then just a mentally ill child patient given that the ramshackle mental hospital he runs looks like more of the kind that houses the criminally insane then mentally ill kids.* ElectrifiedBathtub: This was originally going to be the babysitter's death, but the special effect would have been too expensive. This is instead used in Bride Of Chucky.* ExorcistHead: Chucky does this as he's being held Andy's mother after [[spoiler:she realizes he's been working without batteries.]]* FriendsRentControl: Karen is a single mom with a crappy job at a department store, and explicitly strapped for cash. Her Chicago apartment is frigging huge.* HollywoodVoodoo: This is how Chucky gets his soul in a doll in the first place.* NoodleIncident: We never learn what led to Charles Lee Ray running from the cops and taking refuge in that toy store in the first movie. [[spoiler: Until ''Curse of Chucky'', that is. Also doubles as a ''very'' long example of HowWeGotHere.]]* OffWithHisHead: Chucky gets decapitated during the finale, but it doesn't kill him.* PrecisionFStrike: When Karen is starting to believe Andy about Chucky.--> '''Karen:''' "Say something, you little... bastard!"* PreMortemOneLiner:--> '''Chucky:''' Andy, no! We're friends to the end, remember?--> '''Andy:''' This is the end, friend!* TooDumbToLive: The voodoo priest who taught Chucky everything he knows about the dark arts. To make it even worse, he keeps a VoodooDoll of ''himself'' around.* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CInaU8ebb8 theatrical trailer]] for the film spoils the fact that the doll is alive, most notably by cutting from Karen opening Chucky's battery compartment to her saying: "He came alive in my hand!"* WhamLine: This shocked many audience members the first time.--> '''Mrs. Barclay:''' I said talk to me, dammit, or else I'm gonna throw you in the fire!--> [[spoiler: '''Chucky:''']] '''YOU STUPID BITCH, YOU FILTHY SLUT! I'LL TEACH YOU TO FUCK WITH ME!'''* WhamShot: Andy's mom turning over Chucky to stop him from talking, only to find out that the batteries enabling that are not in Chucky's Good Guy doll socket.* WhoNeedsTheirWholeBody: Chucky keeps going as a one-armed, one-legged torso after he is burned.* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Chucky more or less says this to his former voodoo teacher after torturing him into revealing how to escape the doll's body.[[/folder]]----